Dogs Trust reveal high cost of having a badly behaved pooch

Research released by Dogs Trust has revealed that dogs with problem behaviours cost the average Northern Irish dog owner £538.68 a year.

According to the dog welfare charity this equates to £6,464.16 over the average dog’s lifetime. This shocking figure equates to an average total cost in damages of almost £400million across Northern Ireland every year – nearly enough to buy George Best Belfast City Airport.

Almost a million dogs in the UK have had no formal training but, when it comes to going out, one in four dog owners never let their dog off the lead and 60% of dogs do not always return when called. Despite all this, more than 91% of Northern Irish dog owners shun professional help – but thanks to Dogs Trust, help is on its way

Dogs Trust Dog Schools have now opened nationwide, including Ballymena, offering all dog owners practical, expert training and advice based on the most recent advances in dog behaviour science. The launch of Dog School comes after the charity received nearly 9,000 calls from owners looking to rehome their dogs due to behavioural problems.

At Dog School owners learn how to teach their dog new skills using positive reward based training, and find out lots about dog behaviour to help them prevent the kind of problems that cost Northern Ireland almost £400 million every year. For more information on Dogs Trust Dog School in Northern Ireland (Ballymena, Belfast and Antrim) including how to register for a place, visit www.dogstrustdogschool.org.uk/dog-school